Leveled out, for now- two types of weight regain for me Nov 2017

Okay, Nov 2017. Another chapter of my Art and Science of Weight Maintenance. In the books.

 My plan was to just get level. I did but not before having a secondary cause of weight regain near goal. It happens. Life happens.

Long story short, I got to my goal of getting level. But there were two different flavors or causes of  my weight regain.

Why did I gain? 
Cause 1: The one in RED seemed more hormonal, due to meal timing, maybe increase in calories in (yes, I if i over eat, I will gain). Fewer longer fasting days.

Cause 2:  The second one in YELLOW corresponds to travel, eat outs, exposure to grains (probably corn) and multiple small spider bites. Short term, yet high inflammatory. I had such bad knee pain going up stairs that I had to hobble. It hurt, a lot.

I have not had the chance to look at what both scenarios look like until late this week. Very interesting. Once I know the process, I can troubleshoot more effectively. Throw in 2 root causes and it is a lot more work.

IMO: It really pays to touch base with your own causes of weight regain (if you can ID them) and get familiar with effective stability tools. Once I boil the whole process down to the right tools, then reversing weight gain at or near goal seems easier for me. Easier than trying to reverse 10-20 + pounds. I found much harder to reverse higher numbers.

Identifying weight regain when part of it is hormonal is tricky, but I can use tools, use data, trend lines and take additional steps. It could be easier, but it also could be harder, too.

Why I address it ASAP:
Once I start trending past my best weight, the gain can become fast and furious. It's not my fault

Why? Weight gain is common. Obesity is hardcoded in my FTO genes. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes. High risk. I was previously obese or yo-yo dieting 40 years. Add in an extra ghrelin gene and "off signals" for eating that are faulty. Weight regain and Food Addiction are BEASTS. Chronic, life long disease.

I deserve the best treatment I can give myself. It's not like the government or most workplace wellness programs pushing high carb grains are going to help me. I need to seek my own solutions.

I am not a bad person, glutton, weak willed, needing to moderate my binge food, unwilling, or any other unsavory name thrown at the regainers. 

Why? multiple root causes of obesity probably have created 2 different kinds of weight gain for me.

I knew this, but to see them within 5 weeks or so, really brought home the art and science of weight maintenance. I have to apply many tools to keep a fast and furious weight regain from happening

Tools last month were:- AKA what is working

1. Time Restricted Eating windows (IF) more frequently. More frequent 17:7 fasts daily, with 11:13 and 12:12 thrown in there. ( helps me lose weight right at goal weight, which is very hard for me)

Hours spent fasting

Bimodal fasting for me! Start times

2. LCHF food template, fasting keeps me in a low level Ketosis. ( I can burn my own body fat & it's nutritious and delicious. )

3. My Fitness Pal and Fitbit  (I can keep track of total intake and activity)

In one of my groups, there is a motto:  Keep Calm and Keto ON  (KCKO). Yep!!!

In the past what didn't work

1. Eating all the time. Breakfast, snack, Lunch, snack, Dinner, BINGE EAT while watching Biggest LOSER. Um, I gained weight during this time.

2. Moderate eating with a Calories in Calories out approach only. Thinking I could be lean by eating my binge foods. No that Lean Cuisine Pizza was not lean (high carb) and certainly was not cuisine.

3. Not tracking total intake, including macros and fooling myself on activity. NO, no that weight gain was never muscle.

Onward. Keep Calm and Weight Maintenance On!  (KCWMO)

The big picture looks pretty good. Glad I did the work last month. This is the longest I've been this stable. My whole 51 years of life. Let's see what the next meal brings.....

2017 , 5th year of weight maintenance